Audio output from an electronic device may be covered up by various sounds coming from other devices in its vicinity. For example, a phone may ring during a television show, but the ring may not be heard by a television viewer if the show is louder than the ring. In that case, the viewer may miss the phone call. In other cases, the television viewer may be engrossed in watching the show and unaware of the presence of other events, such as the ringing. This application is intended to address these and other issues, and to provide related advantages.